Food can with immersion heater



July 28, 1959 EDER FOQD CAN WITH IMMERSION HEATER Filed April 11, 1956 Patented July 28, 1959 FOOD CAN WITH 1 r iv RSION HEATER Adolf Eder, Linz, Austria, assignor to Etahlissement EPOK, Vaduz, Liechtenstein This invention relates to a food can or tin having an immersion heater which contains a heating composition combustible without a supply of air and an igniter which can be actuated from the outside. Such cans or tins are actually useful only if they can be manufactured in a simple manner and at low cost and ensure utmost reliability in operation. On the one hand it must be possible to ignite the heating composition easily, without danger and in a reliable manner. On the other hand all other sources of danger and trouble must be eliminated until the can or tin is emptied. For instance, a mechanical actuation of the igniter is required and the ignition must not be initiated by a flame. It is also necessary to ensure that the igniting flames do actually reach the heating composition whereas no jet of flame must penetrate to the outside and no external part of the can or tin must become excessively hot. Since the heating of the contents of the can or tin is necessarily effected while the can or tin is closed, because the heater is arranged and constructed as an immersion heater, an excessive pressure might build up inside the can or tin so as to cause an explosive tearing of the can or tin or to cause accidents when the can or tin is subsequently opened. This must also be avoided.

It is an object of the invention to provide a food can or tin which will fulfil all these requirements and distinguishes by reliability in operation and foolproofness. According to the invention this is achieved primarily in that the igniter which directly adjoins the heating composition consists of a cap which is filled with bonded igniting composition and through which extends a pull-off wire which is helically wound below the cap and extends outwardly through the cover of the can or tin. The cap covers preferably a heating cartridge constituted by the heating composition. Thus the igniter can be manufactured with an extremely small structural expenditure and a reliable ignition is ensured by its direct connection to the heating composition and by its caplike shape. On the other hand the cap will prevent any formation of a jet of flame through the cover opening for the release wire and an excessive temperature rise at that point. The friction caused by pulling the wire is sufiicient to ignite the igniting composition and thereby to initiate the entire combustion process. The pulling does not require any special skill.

In a development of the invention the safety device is provided at the cover of the can or tin. That safety device is detachable to expose or form an opening in the cover. The pull-oft wire can be actuated only after that safety device has been detached. For this reason the heating composition cannot be ignited before a steam outlet is provided in the cover so that an excessive build-up of pressure inside the can or tin during the burning of the heating composition is prevented.

The safety device may consist of a tongue which is soldered to the cover of the can or tin and arranged to close the cover opening. The pull-off wire for the igniter may be firmly connected to said tongue, which may have a free end for engagement by a can or tin opener or the like. To enable the actuation of the pull-off wire the soldered sheet metal tongue must be rolled up or detached with the aid of the can or tin opener, whereby the safety opening in the cover is exposed at the same time.

Another particularly simple construction is obtained when the safety device consists of a wire which extends through a soldered opening in the cover of the can or tin and is connected above the cover of the can or tin to the pull-01f wire for the igniter by a handle. In this case the exposed portion of the safety wire is preferably shorter than that of the pull-off wire so that it is sufficient to grip and pull the handle whereby the safety wire is first pulled out of the soldered cover opening so as to open up a steam vent, and then the igniter is operated by the pull-off wire. That sequence of the two operations is due to the different lengths of the two wires from the handle. The pull-off wire may also form the safety wire and a wire loop, a bead threaded on the wire, or a similar means may be provided to form a handle.

The safety device may also consist a lever which lies flat against the cover of the can or tin and has unequal arms, the longer arm being formed as a handle, whereas the shorter arm has at its end a spike-like projection which is preferably directed towards a cup-like depression or boss of the cover of the can or tin. The pull-off wire for the igniter is afiixed to the lever. When the lever is gripped at its longer arm and lifted, the projection of its shorter arm will pierce the cover to form the safety opening. Thereafter the igniter may be actuated with the aid of the pull-off wire, which is aflixed to the lever. In that operation the lever may be entirely detached from the cover. It is particularly suitable if the fulcrum bearing of the lever is formed by a soldered joint and the lever itself is formed for use as a can or tin opener after it has been detached from the cover.

When the can or tin is filled as far as to the cover, heating the can or tin may not only cause steam to emerge out of the cover opening formed or exposed but may also cause a part of the contents of the can or tin to be sprayed out like a small fountain. To avoid this a development of the invention resides in that a closing sheet, preferably held in the fold formed by the cover and the can or tin, is provided adjacent to the cover opening just below the cover. That closing sheet does not prevent an escape of steam because it is moved by the ebullition continually to expose the opening for the steam but it will prevent a direct ejection of the contents of the can or tin. Any seepage or emergence of small droplets may be tolerated, of course.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 respectively are a sectional view and a perspective view showing the upper part of a food can or tin provided with a safety device,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing another form of the safety device.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing another embodiment, and

Figs. 5 and 6 respectively are a top plan View and a vertical sectional view showing as a detail a modification of the can shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with a closing sheet. In Fig. 5 the can is shown without a cover and in Fig. 6 after the removal of the safety device.

The cover 1 of a food can or tin 2 has connected thereto a container 3 which is similar to an immersion heater and accommodates a heating cartridge 4. The igniter of the heating cartridge consists of a cap 5, which is filled with bonded ignition composition and through which a pull-off wire 6 extends, which is helically wound below the cap. The cap 5 forms at the same time the cover of the heating cartridge 4. The pull-01f wire extends outwardly through the cover 1 of the can or tin and according to Figs. 1 and 2 is firmly connected to a tongue 7 soldered to the cover of the can or tin. The tongue 7 closes a cover opening '8 and has a free end, which extends beyond the rim of the can or tin for engagement by a can or tin opener. To enable the pull-oflt' wire 6 to be pulled and thereby to ignite the ignition composition by friction therein, with a resulting ignition of the heating composition in the cartridge, the tongue 7 must first be detached from the cover to expose the opening 8 for an escape of steam.

As is shown in Fig. 3, the tongue 7 may be replaced by a wire 9, which extends in a soldered opening 8 through the cover 1 of the can or tin and is connected by means of a handle 10 to the pull-off wire 6 or is formed by the pull-off wire itself. It is apparent that the exposed part of the safety wire 9 is shorter than that of the pull-off wire so that pulling of the handle 10, which may be replaced by a wire loop, will first cause the safety wire 9 to be pulled out of the soldered cover opening 8 and only thereafter will cause an actuation of the pull-01f wire 6.

According to Fig. 4 the can or tin opener 11 for opening the can or tin is soldered to the cover 1 of the can or tin so as to form in conjunction with the soldered joint 12 a lever having unequal arms. That can or tin opener 11 is formed at the end of its shorter arm with a spikelike projection 13, which is directed towards a cup-shaped depression or boss 14 of the cover of the can or tin. When the opener 11 is gripped at its handle and lifted, the projection 13 will positively pierce the cover of the can or tin or its boss so as to form a cover opening. As the lifting of the opener 11 is continued the pull-01f wire 6 connected thereto is actuated. After the opener has been completely detached from the cover it may be used to open the can or tin.

To prevent an emergence of the contents of the can or tin out of the cover opening 8, a closing sheet 15 held in the rim fold is disposed adjacent to the opening 8 just below the cover 1. The steam formed upon heating can escape through the cover opening 8 in spite of the closing sheet 15, because the latter is moved by the ebullition and the steam passes also across the closing sheet through the annular grooves in the cover of the can or tin.

I claim:

1. In combination a food can comprising a shell, a cover closing said shell at one end and a bottom closing said shell at the other end, a partition dividing the interior of said shell into two spaces and joined to said cover, food material stored in one of said spaces, a cartridge comprising a heating composition combustible without supply of air to heat said food material, said cartridge being contained in the other of said spaces and having a cross-section which is at all points of its length less than that of said other space, a body of bonded igniting composition contained in said other space and adapted to ignite said heating composition, a cap disposed in said other space between said cover and said cartridge and body of igniting composition, said cap being formed with a well and with a laterally extending rim surrounding said well and engaging said partition to space said well on all sides from said partition, said cartridge having one end fitting in said well, and a pull-ofi wire extending from the outside of said can through said cover, cap and at least part of said body of igniting composition and adapted to cause said igniting composition to be ignited by friction when said wire is being pulled out of said can.

2. In combination a food can comprising a shell, a cover closing said shell at one end and a bottom closing said shell at the other end, a partition dividing the interior of said shell into two spaces and joined to said cover, food material stored in one of said spaces, a heating composition combustible without supply of air to heat said food material, said heating composition being contained in the other of said spaces, a cap disposed in said other space between said heating composition and said cover, said cap being formed with a first well containing part of said heating composition and with a second well which is smaller in cross-section than and substantially concentric with said first well, a body of bonded igniting composition contained only in said second well and adjoining said heating composition and adapted to ignite the same, said cap positioning said heating composition and igniting composition relative to each other and spaced from said partition, and a pull-01f wire extending from the outside of said can through said cover, cap and at least part of said body of igniting composition and adapted to cause said igniting composition to be ignited by friction when said wire is being pulled out of said can. I

3. In combination a food can comprising a shell, a cover closing said shell at one end and a bottom closing the other end of said shell, a partition dividing the interior of said shell into two spaces and joined to said cover, food material stored in one of said spaces, a heating composition combustible without supply of air to heat said food material, said heating composition being contained in the other of said spaces, a body of bonded igniting composition contained in said other space and adapted to ignite said heating composition, a pull-oflr' wire extending from the outside of said can through said cover and at least part of said body of igniting composition and adapted to cause said igniting composition to be ignited by friction when said wire is being pulled out of said can, said cover comprising a portion adapted to form an opening through which said one space communicates with the outside air, and a safety device removably attached to said cover and normally closing said opening and holding the pull-01f wire outside said can close to said cover to prevent the pulling of said wire, said safety device being arranged first to expose said opening and only thereafter to release said wire from the outside of the cover when said safety device is being removed from said cover.

4. A food can as set forth in claim 3, which further comprises a sheet slightly spaced below said portion of the cover and having a peripheral edge aflixed along part only of its length to said can whereas the rest of said peripheral edge is exposed freely in said one space, said sheet preventing an ejection of food material from said one space through said opening but permitting of an escape of gaseous fluid from said one space around said rest of said peripheral edge and then out through said opening after said safety device has been removed from said cover.

5. In combination a food can comprising a shell, a cover closing said shell at one end and a bottom closing said shell at the other end, said cover having an annular groove, a partition dividing the interior of said shell into two spaces and joined to said cover, food material stored in one of said spaces, an immersion heater in the other of said spaces, said cover comprising a portion formed with an opening through which said one space communicates with the outside air, removable means providing an air-tight seal of said opening, and a sheet slightly spaced below said portion of the cover and having a peripheral edge affixed along part only of its length to said can whereas the rest of said peripheral edge is exposed freely in said one space, said sheet underlying said opening to prevent an ejection of food material from said one space through said opening and underlying a portion of said groove to permit of an escape of gaseous fluid from said one space through said groove and then out of said opening after said removable means have been removed.

6. A food can as set forth in claim 3, in which said safety device comprises a tongue which is soldered to said cover and said cover has an opening closed by said tongue, the pull-off wire being firmly connected to said tongue, said tongue having a free end engageable by a can opener.

7, A food can as set forth in claim 3, in which said cover has a soldered opening and said safety device comprises a safety wire which extends through said opening and a handle connecting said safety Wire to said pull-01f wire.

8. A food can as set forth in claim 7, in which said 5 safety wire and said pull-off Wire have each an exposed portion and the exposed portion of said safety wire is shorter than the exposed portion of said pull-off wire.

9. A food can as set forth in claim 3, in which said cover has a soldered opening and said safety device is constituted by said pull-ofi wire extending through said opening and provided with a handle.

10. A food can as set forth in claim 9, in which said handle consists of a wire loop.

11. A food can as set forth in claim 9, in which said handle consists of a bead passed on said wire.

12. A food can as set forth in claim 3, in which said safety device comprises a level which lies fiat against said cover and has a longer arm formed as a handle and a shorter arm having at its end a spike-like projection, 20

said lever having said pull-off wire aflixed thereto.

13. A food can as set forth in claim 12, in which said cover is formed with a boss and said projection is directed towards said boss. 1

14. A food can as set forth in claim 12, which comprises a soldered joint forming a fulcrum for said lever, which is formed as a can opener for use after the lever has been detached from the can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 95,728 Roby Oct. 12, 1869 768,388 Lotspike Aug. 23, 1904 972,304 White Oct. 11, 1910 1,751,387 Bielek Mar. 18, 1930 2,301,212 Jones Nov. 10, 1942 2,384,278 Caldwell Sept. 4, 1945 2,386,654 Caldwell Oct. 9, 1945 2,387,715 Cadwell Oct. 30, 1945 2,721,000 Schwendler v Oct. 18, 1955 2,721,558 Grifiths Oct. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 495,217 Great Britain Nov. 9, 1938 637,214 Great Britain May 17, 1950 9,621 Great Britain Apr. 25, 1902 

